Eternal Sleep
by Melantha Frost
Summary: Sandy has finally gotten the Guardians to listen to him about Jack. Now it's up to them to save Jack from himself, before Sandy goes ballistic. Before Pitch rises from Jack's fear alone. Before Jack Frost descends into eternal sleep, never to be awoken. Sequel to Alone.
1. Jack!

Disclaimer: I don't own Rise of the Guardians! I sure wish I did though...

On to the story!

* * *

Sandy was off to visit Jack Frost. Of course, if the guardians ever found out, they'd try and hold him back. Then he'd knock 'em out with dream sand.

He sighed, if only the other spirits saw how sweet the otherwise mischievous boy was, then they wouldn't treat him like dirt under their shoes. Well, he thought, it's either stand here and feel sorry for him, or go and say hi. And maybe watch his dreams for once.

Sandy had noticed the dark bags under Jack's eyes. When he talked to the guardians about him, North had rumbled, "Frost is a spirit, we guardians watch over children." Sandy had replied that Jack was a child, an almost 300 year old spirit, but still a child at heart. North had ignored him whenever Sandy brought up Jack.

Bunnymund said, "The frostbite is just that: a frostbite! An annoying ankle-biter. He doesn't care about children! The dill doesn't know when to stop spreading winter." Sandy decided not to talk to Bunny about Jack anymore.

Sandy could just imagine Toothiana's reaction, so he stayed away from her.

He didn't realize he had gotten to Burgess until his sand alighted him on the snowbanks. Yet when he looked around, he couldn't see Jack. Times like this, he wished he could talk.

A dream horse padded up to him and nickered sadly. It pulled on his sleeve, clearly distressed. Sometimes this happened when kids were adamant on staying awake, sometimes it was because Pitch's nightmares got there first.

He followed it, sensing it was important, and was surprised when it led him deeper into the forest. There he found a sleeping Jack sprawled in between two tree branches. Sandy thought there was nothing wrong, until he saw Jack thrashing around, threatening to fall off. This was definitely nightmares' work. But why wasn't there any black sand above his head?

The horse of golden sand impatiently watched Sandy. _Hmmmm... I've got it!_ A light bulb flashed above his head. The horse wasn't impressed. He touched his right hand on Jack's warm forehead.

He saw what the spirit saw. He saw a little girl as he plunged into the cracked frozen lake under him. The moon glittered above, but it looked like he was... Watching from underwater! His lungs gasped, his skin grew cold, oh so cold. He felt like he was frozen. He felt like he was trapped. The darkness at the edge of his vision grew and spread, until all he could see was the moon through the now frozen water. And the girl grinning at him with cold, manic, eyes.

Sandy gasped as he was plunged out of Jack's memories. After gulping air into his lungs, he looked back at Jack. He was now still. Jack was paler, as pale as death. Sandy panicked, until he saw the faint rise and fall of Jack's chest.

He got the dream horse to carry Jack, and they headed to the North Pole.

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Hey, yeah, sorry if it's too short, but I'm having trouble thinking of anything. I have a really vague plot, but suggestions and constructive criticism is welcome! If you're confused about Alone, then I've succeeded :)

Meet my muse, Juniper!

Juniper: Hi! Oh, by the way, don't tell Mel, but... I set her brain on fire! It's not my fault, it's freezing in here!

Me: I HEARD THAT! GET OUT OF MY HEAD YOU MONSTER! *Proceeds to bash head against wall*


	2. Sandy's Wrath

Disclaimer: *singing* Rise of the Guardians, not mine, not mine, not miiiiiiiine!

* * *

"Oh hi Sandy, how's it- WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT DILL?!"

That was Bunnymund's greeting to Sandy.

North walked into the globe room to see Sandy bashing Bunny with sand whips.

And that was Sandy's reply to Bunny.

North took one look at Sandy's red face and slowly backed away with his hands up in surrender. "Uhhh... Hey Sandy... Let's just talk about this like the civilized spirits we are."

Sandy looked up, and calmed down when he saw North. A sand arrow appeared above his head and pointed at a sleeping figure cloaked in a blanket with a dream horse beside him. North looked over to the silhouette and lowers the blanket to see who it was. When he saw Frost, he almost reacted the same way as Bunny. But before he could make that fatal mistake, his fatherly instincts kicked in when he saw the dark circles under Jack's eyes. and he immediately fluffed the pillows under his head, and tucked the blanket a little tighter around Jack.

Bunny, however, would not learn from his mistakes, and kept on yelling after witnessing North's 'conversion' to Jack's side. "Oi! Are you bloody insane?! He's only asleep, most likely because of this pile of golden sand! While I'm stuck here pinned to the ground!" Sandy, if possible grew angrier, and took the snowflake (he really was as light as a snowflake) to one of the many guest rooms in North's palace.

North glanced at Bunny, "If I were you, I would run. But I'm not, so I'm gonna do this." He clicked a button on a remote control, and all doors leading out of the castle was shut down. Bunny glared at him.

"And here I thought we were friends. Why would you do that for the frostbite?"

North never got the chance to reply, because Sandy chose that moment to storm into the room and grab the Pooka's very sensitive ears. "Ow, ow, ow, watch the ears!" Sandy glared until he got another one of his 'brilliant' ideas. Bunny gulped when he saw the sand bulb above the dream-maker's head, and the evil grin on his face. North inwardly gave Bunny five minutes until he broke down.

Sandy dragged the furred warrior to a room. A very very cold room. As cold as the snow in Antarctica. Maybe colder. Sandy threw Aster into said room, and locked the door before he could escape. He stood outside of the 'jail cell' and watched through the glass door. The Pooka stood there for one second and was instantly on his knees, "Please Sandy! Let me out, let me out, lemme out! I-I'll even say sorry to the lil' snowflake, just LET ME OUT!" Those last words were emphasized with banging on the door.

One of the tooth fairies flew into the globe room and chirped a greeting to North, who was eating cookies. Toothiana herself walked in and heard cries, begging and pleading.

Sighing, she asked, "Who made Sandy mad again? Was it the groundhog?"

Snorting, the big man hauled himself up to his feet. "Pft, the groundhog? No, it was the Pooka by the name of E. Aster Bunnymund."

A puzzled expression descended over Tooth's visage, wondering what would elicit such screams from the last Pooka. The mini fairy tugged her mistress over to where Sandy was.

"Hi Sandy! How ya doing? And... What did Bunny do to get you this mad?" She cringed when she saw the enraged expression on the normally gentle guardian. The elder softened when he saw the tooth fairies' terror.

In a blur of images, he showed a boy with a shepherd's staff next to a snowflake. Then the boy trying not to sleep, and struggling with his loneliness. Until finally, the boy in a tree, in a dark dreamscape. Tooth nodded, and gazed at the bunny still trapped. "I think you got your point across, Sandy. Let the poor rodent out."

Said rabbit shrank back when the door opened, and suddenly raced out of the room and out of their sight.

Sandy led the feathered girl to Jack's room. It was already carved in ice, although it was in a dark way. The thick frost had spread over the windows, obscuring any light. The patterns in the wall suggested shadow trees in the background.

They both shivered, but despite her body's protests, the fairy rushed forward with a shriek when she saw the abnormally pale boy. Bunny and North came rushing when her mini fairy pushed them towards the sprite's room.

All the guardians walked towards Jack's bed warily, expecting him to jump up and attack. Nothing was wrong, that is, until they saw the boy's breathing had stopped.

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Well, how's that for a cliffhanger? *Evil grin* And yeah, I know, I update insanely fast. Only because I have tons of free time... But I will never update on a weekday, unless it's Friday or there happens to be no school.

Juniper: Ahhhh... It's soooo warm in here... *Roasts marshmallows*

Me: Are you eating marshmallows?! In my HEAD?! Without me? *Pouts* If you tell them, I'll give you a slice of a warm, pizza-shaped cookie!

Juniper: Fine, fine... Please review, then I'll make her give out cookies and chocolate!


	3. Problem and Solution

There was absolute silence. For about two seconds.

"What do we do?!"  
"Jack! Wake up!"  
"You bloody show pony, is this a trick?"

Sandy was the only sane one. Or maybe it was just because he was mute. Either way, he tried to get their attention when he noticed the shadows gathering beside the bed.

He could barely make out two yellow cat-like eyes. When the noise reached about 200 decibels, the elder Guardian lashed his whips. And silence reigned in the infirmary.

"Awwww... I didn't know the Guardians actually cared for the lonely winter spirit,"  
The voice came from the darkest shadow. Beside the bed. Beside Jack's bed. "If you really want to know, Jack is frozen. Frozen in fear, from you," Pitch spat the word you like it was a poison mushroom.

North looked confused. "He winter spirit. How frozen?" The others nodded in agreement.

"Clueless, it's like I'm talking to three-year olds! You know the phrase, 'frozen in fear?' Well, it can happen to winter spirits too, except it makes them warm. And if a winter spirit becomes too warm, their bodies work overtime to cool them down. It works, but it works too well. They turn so cold, they freeze," Pitch was pacing around them now. "He can hear you. He can hear, even if he's asleep. He became scared of you. Really, you should try being more quiet. It would've helped if you didn't leave him alone. Maybe you could've tried helping him control his powers, like Sandy. "

The three Guardians looked away in shame. Only Sandy stared at Pitch like he was growing a second head. He signed, 'Why would you of all people care about Jack Frost?' Pitch shook his head, laughed, and gestured to himself. "Just making sure he doesn't end up like me. You left me, could've helped explain everything, but you just left me. You should thank me, I'm making sure Jack Frost doesn't become Pitch Black Number Two. If he ever wakes up, that is. You have to find some way to help Jack conquer his fears– after you find what it is." With that, Pitch Black was gone.

"So... Anybody know anything about Jack's fear?" Tooth asked. Everybody looked at Bunny.

He put his hands up in surrender. "What? What would I know?"

'Its clear that Jack fears you. Or fears what you said.' Sandy signed.

Aster gaped at them for two minutes. "What? He's just a little annoying bug. He sure wasn't scared of me when I told him he's self-" his eyes widened in horror when he realized what had upset Jack so.

The Guardians glared at him. "What else did you say?" North rumbled ominously.

"Uhh... Just that... He will always be alone?" Bunny lowered his ears in shame. The three other spirits ignored him for weeks.

"So," Tooth started, "didn't Pitch say Jack can hear, even if he's asleep? So we can just tell him he will never be alone now."

"Blimey... I never thought the ankle-biter took my words to heart. Jack, if you can hear me, I'm really sorry, mate. You will never be alone Jack. You mean too much to us. You're like my lil bro."

"Jack, I don't like you for just your teeth. I like you, because you're you!"

"Jack... You're like my son. Don't leave us."

Sandy sat there with a sad look on his face.

They sat there forlornly, and perked up when they saw Jack Frost's hand twitch.

* * *

Ok, I'm gonna say this thing is done, cuz I'm done. I cannot think of anything better. *shakes head* horrible.


End file.
